How to Read Body Language While Dating

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Knowing how to read your date's body language signals will help you understand where you stand with your date. Everybody has different quirks and habits, of course, but some common body language signals are universal. You can understand a lot from watching how a person uses his body – and he doesn’t even have to say a single word. Remember, however, to relax and enjoy the experience, and don't focus too much on analyzing your date's body language.

Eye Contact

As the saying goes, "The eyes are the window to the soul" and, yes -- eye contact is often the best way to tell whether someone is attracted to you. If your date isn't making eye contact with you, or if he won't meet your gaze when you look at him or he’s constantly looking around the room, it could be that he's just not that interested in you -- or, he could be shy. Positive signs are if your date maintains good eye contact, and occasionally drops his gaze to look at your mouth before he looks back into your eyes. This is what Judi James, author of "The Body Language Bible," says is a definite sign that someone is attracted to you -- and more specifically -- is thinking about kissing you.

Hand Gestures

Hand gestures can reveal a lot about how a date is going. Men and women use different hand gestures to flirt, states eHarmony. A man may touch his chest or smooth his hair during conversation, and a woman may twirl her hair around her fingers, fiddle with her jewelry or bring her hands up to her face. It is also a good sign if your date's palms are open, says Jeremy Nicholson, doctor of social and personality psychology. Beware if your date has closed hands or is scratching his nose or rubbing the back of his neck. These types of hand gestures can indicate discomfort or uncertainty.

Physical Contact

If your date makes actual physical contact with you, you should have no doubt of her interest. Your date might try to find excuses to touch you. She might lightly touch your arm when she emphasizes a point during conversation, brush past you unnecessarily to get to the bar or use her foot to touch yours under the table. If she takes advantage of any opportunity to reduce the physical distance between the two of you, this is a positive sign. If your date backs away from you, you should take this as a sign that she hasn’t made up her mind how she feels about you, warns Nicholson.

Mirroring Movements

If it looks like your date is “copying” your movements, that’s a good sign. Mirroring, which is the act of unconsciously copying another’s movements, reveals common ground and mutual attraction, says Tracey Cox, a body language and relationship expert. If you want to put this theory to the test, Cox suggests that you cross your leg and then uncross it, and see if your date does the same. If your date opens his body to the room instead of you, or crosses his arms in front of his chest or bites his lips or nails, the date is not going so well, warns James.

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About the Author

C. Giles is a writer with an MA (Hons) in English literature and a post-graduate diploma in law. Her work has been published in several publications, both online and offline, including "The Herald," "The Big Issue" and "Daily Record."